This invention relates to pre-loading of data.
As mobile phones and other handheld electronic devices become increasingly sophisticated it is taking longer for them to reach an operational state after they have been turned on. Modern mobile phones can take over a minute to boot up. The reason for this is that the devices' operating systems, including the essential software that the devices require to reach an operational state, are becoming more sophisticated and require longer to load from non-volatile memory into working memory and to place the variables and other settings used by the devices during operation into an operational configuration. This is a problem because users would prefer to be able to use a device as soon as possible after they turn it on.
One solution to this problem is for users to leave a device powered on all the time, either in a fully operational mode, or in a suspended mode in which the processor is substantially disabled but the working memory is still powered. However, in the case of battery-powered devices this uses up battery power and reduces the time that the device can be used before charging. Also, some users prefer to turn their devices off entirely, so that it does not disturb them, for example by ringing if it is a mobile phone.
Another solution is for the device to provide a hibernation mode in which the content of working memory is cached to non-volatile memory when the device is powered down. Then, when the device is powered up the cached data can be retrieved and the device can be returned relatively quickly to its operational state. This is useful in devices that have ample non-volatile memory, such as laptops with large hard disks. However, for other devices it would generally require a considerable increase in size and cost.
There is therefore a need for an improved method of loading the essential software needed for normal operation of a device.
In addition to being turned on by a user manually operating a switch, some devices can turn on automatically. On example of this is that some mobile phones can turn on automatically when their alarm clock function is active and an alarm time is reached and/or the alarm is acknowledged rather than snoozed by a user. To achieve this such phones have—in addition to a main processing function that is used during normal operation of the phone—a background processing function that handles background processes whilst the phone is in its “off” state. The background function uses very little power compared to the main processing function. Operations handled by the background processing function include maintenance of a real-time clock, performance of alarm clock and reminder functions (at least whilst the phone is in its “off” state) and detection of external events that are to trigger the device to turn on, such as the pressing of an “on” button and connection to an external power supply.